Understanding Fabrics: Weight, Weave, and What to Sew | The Daily Sew

Understanding Fabrics: Weight, Weave, and What to Sew | The Daily Sew
One of the biggest and costliest steps of sewing a garment is choosing the right fabric because the fabric you choose is critical to the success of the finished garment. What with the price of fabric and the time it takes to sew the garment no one wants to choose the wrong fabric.
But how do you know what works and what doesn’t? While there are no hard and fast rules in fashion this video is going to give you a better understanding of what to look for when choosing fabric
Here are some books I own and use. (The links are affiliate links)
“Claire Schaeffer’s Fabric Sewing Guide” by Claire Schaeffer. This book is out of print but can still be found. It tells you about the fabric and how to best sew with it. What type of needle to use, which seams or stitches are best for the fabric type and how to care for the fabric.
“Sew Any Fabric: A Quick Reference to Fabrics From A to Z” by Claire Schaeffer An updated and edited version of the above “Fabric Sewing Guide”. Also out of print but available as a Kindle book. amzn.to/4arIUnE
“Textilpedia: The Complete Fabric Guide” by Fashionary. Read about different fibers, structures and surfaces with a photograph of each fabric mentioned. amzn.to/3E95wNB
“Fabric for Fashion: The Swatch Book” by Clive Hallett and Amanda Johnston. A pricey book because it has a large variety of well-sized, actual, fabric swatches for you to touch and feel. They are all labeled and all neutral colors for easy comparisons. amzn.to/4jnoDDD
“The Golden Thread: How Fabric Changed History” by Kassia St. Clair. This is an enjoyable and interesting read about the history of fabric. amzn.to/4apT3RL
The products mentioned above are affiliate links to items and tools that I bought, use and recommend. You can buy them from anywhere but if you buy through the link (and Amazon) I receive a tiny percent back from that mega-retailer to help support this channel. Just letting you know ;-)
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[@camille5910]

Thank you for educating us.

[@TheDailySew]

oh, thank you for watching. I'm just trying to pass on useful information so you might save some time and money ;-)

[@Gardens_of_Vanha_Talo_Soumi]

Very informative, thank you, I learned a lot. I too highly recommend Claire Schaeffer - her wealth of knowledge of haute couture is phenomenal, and her deep dive explanations of design construction are priceless.

[@TheDailySew]

Thanks, yes, I don't own all of Claire Schaeffer's books but most of them ;-) I understand her explanations, she really is a good teacher. Now I have to memorize them.

[@edakalay]

Thank you very much. Very helpful.

[@TheDailySew]

great to hear, Thank you

[@martinafox5696]

Thank you.

[@TheDailySew]

thanks for watching ;-)

[@mollydodger]

Thank you for this! This is something that has generally eluded me and an area I want to improve.

[@TheDailySew]

yay! I'm glad it was helpful.

[@RezaMarz]

Thanks.

[@TheDailySew]

thank you for watching

[@annalynn9325]

This was really informative!
Quilting cotton is available, cute, and a natural fiber. Is it worth sewing garments in? Or is it just too thin and stiff?

[@TheDailySew]

There seem to be some strong "no" opinions out there over if you can use quilting cotton for garments. I say... it depends. It depends on the garment style and the fabric. Usually quilting cotton is too stiff and/or tightly woven to drape like a cotton apparel fabric. It is made to be a blanket, after all. To stand up to hot washings and being sat on. However, some garment styles, like a-line skirts look fine in quilting cotton. (I've made quite a few over the years). The quilting cotton does fade over time and can show worn areas. Choose designs that are a little stiff to begin with, like a boxy cropped jacket, if you want to sew with quilting cotton. Not a swingy style top .

[@annalynn9325]

@ I’ll take that advice, thank you

[@peeshyholland433]

Thanks for your fabric knowledge. I have made so many poor choices for garment making.

[@TheDailySew]

me too - it happens